The World Cup 2026 draw, held on Friday in Washington, D.C., has resulted in varied groups for the Arab national teams. The Jordanian national team faces one of the toughest groups, set to clash with reigning champions Argentina, led by Lionel Messi, along with Algeria and Austria. Following this, the Moroccan national team is in a strong group, facing the star-studded Brazilian team, Haiti, and Scotland. The Saudi Arabian team is in a group with Spain, Cape Verde, and Uruguay, while the Egyptian team is in a balanced group alongside Belgium, Iran, and New Zealand. The Qatari team is in a relatively easier group with Canada, Switzerland, and the winner of the match between Italy and Northern Ireland or Wales and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Tunisian team is in a group with the Netherlands, Japan, and the winner of the match between Ukraine and Sweden or Poland and Albania. The finals will be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico between June 11 and July 19, 2026, for the first time featuring 48 teams. The tournament will open with a match between Mexico and South Africa at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, while the final match will be hosted by MetLife Stadium near New York. The finals will take place across 16 stadiums (11 in the United States, 3 in Mexico, and 2 in Canada). The top two teams from each group, along with the eight best third-place teams, will advance to the Round of 32. It is worth noting that four teams will qualify from the European playoff, which includes 16 teams: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czechia, Denmark, Italy, Kosovo, Northern Ireland, North Macedonia, Poland, Republic of Ireland, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine, and Wales. Six teams will compete for the remaining two spots in the worldwide playoff: Bolivia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Jamaica, New Caledonia, and Surinam.
